The real when closely observed becomes magical.

Freshly washed woods

Most of us don’t like hiking in the rain. Last September, my brother and I got caught in a very cold Glacier Park thunderstorm near Mt. Gould. Before we got back, we had also been pelted with hail. Without umbrellas, we were drenched.

Fortunately, we found a warm fire in the hotel fireplace after the hike

When my brother and I, along with our wives and a spirited nephew hiked in light rain at Tallulah Gorge in the Georgia mountains last week, we carried umbrellas. We weren’t as cold as we were in Glacier. And we weren’t hiking in a hurry because–unlike the Glacier hike–it was raining when we started.

Everything was fresh and the scents of wet rocks, wet earth and wet leaves were a far better than anything thing you can buy in an aerosol can at the grocery store. When we were kids, we walked and rode our bikes in the rain on purpose. Whether it was our feet or our wheels, we splashed through the biggest puddles we could find.

We avoided the puddles at Tallulah. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the freshly washed woods. It reminded me of childhood walks.

It reminded me of how much we miss by purposely setting up most of our hikes under sunny skies. Within moderation, there’s much to be said for night, wind, rain and snow.

So-called “bad weather” is a face of nature we miss by staying inside.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of the comedy/mystery “Jock Steward and the Missing Sea of Fire.” Now you can pre-order the new book of stories “Jock Stewart Strikes Back” prior to the book’s April 1 release.

Your words hurled me back to another time and place. I was 13 years old, and my class in Linz, austria, went on a weekend “vacation” to bluhnbach, a princely estate taken over by tthe US army of occupation. My classmates were moaning about the rain, and looking for somethiing to do in the huge estate, but I walked out into the light mist and strolled the grounds, breathing in the sweet air and the solitude. did I get wet? Not too wet. But it was worth it. My teacher scolded me for going out alone, but I assured her I never felt alone. I was one with the mist. thanks for that trio.